Capacity building activities

WHO plays a key role in strengthening national capacity for tobacco control, mainly through the following activities:

co-ordinating global expertise

facilitating assistance to comprehensive tobacco control efforts at the national level

assisting the implementation of effective national tobacco control strategies

promoting partnerships with governments and civil society

Capacity assessments

WHO has engaged in a series of Tobacco Control Capacity Assessments, which are joint exercises between national governments and WHO to identify country capacity (including strengths, opportunities, barriers and obstacles) for the implementation of effective tobacco control measures. The assessment includes an analysis of the commitment and the organizational structure available to implement the WHO FCTC demand reduction measures, as well as any other specific tobacco control measures according to national circumstances and priorities and in the context of their obligations under the WHO FCTC. The result of this capacity assessment is a set of recommendations to guide government and other stakeholders in developing and implementing tobacco control programmes.

Training materials

WHO has developed, in collaboration with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, a series of training packages on key tobacco control policies. Although these materials can be used in a variety of ways, they have been particularly designed for use in national training workshops in LMICs. The overall goal of these materials is to help countries develop, implement and enforce specific articles of the WHO FCTC according to best practices.

Grant support

Seed grants are provided by WHO Tobacco Free Initiative to selected countries in the WHO Regions to enable them to initiate and strengthen the national tobacco control process. In addition, TFI is a partner in the grants programme funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and continues to provide strategic guidance to potential grantees, particularly those in the public sector, to support the development and delivery of high-impact tobacco control interventions at the country level.